Melanie Tsuchida
Who Am I My name is Melanie Tsuchida. I am a public relations student at the University of Oklahoma. I was born on June 17, 1992 in Concord, California. I was born and raised in California until I moved to Texas in 2007. I have an older sister, Courtney (23), and two four legged siblings, Misti and Nike. My parents are Alberta and Dennis. My Immediate Family nyc04.jpg|My family in Central Park in New York City. P2170099.JPG|Our dogs, Misti and Nike. P6060600.JPG|From left to right, my mom, Alberta, my dad, Dennis, and my grandma, Frances. My parents have been happily married for over 30 years. My mother, Alberta, is Chinese and my father, Dennis, is Japanese. My mother was born in San Francisco. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a bachelor’s degree in food science and technology. My father, Dennis, is Japanese. He was born in Sacramento and went to the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a degree in civil engineering. My parents met through my mother’s cousin. They dated while my mother was finishing high school and my father in college. My mother and father dated for four years before marrying. My parents now live in Peru, New York. My sister, Courtney, is 23 and lives in San Francisco. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Riverside. Courtney now works in San Jose as an operations assistant. My Japanese Culture My father’s side of the family is Japanese. I am more familiar with and understand my Japanese culture. My great grandparents, Kichimatsu and Nao, were from Saka-mura, Hiroshima. My great grandfather, Kichimatsu, emigrated from his home in Japan to the United States in the early 1900s. Kichimatsu, along with Nao, are first generation or Issei in Japanese. My great grandfather worked many jobs in order to send money back to his family. His jobs included being a houseboy, shotgun rider, Union Pacific Railroad worker, miner and chiropractor. His wife, Nao, finally met him in Nevada where my great grandfather was working in a copper mine. It was in Nevada that my grandfather, Jack (Yoshio), was born. Soon after, the three moved to Sacramento, Calif. Here, my great grandfather opened his own chiropractor business. Shortly after they moved and Jack grew older, Nao opened a pool hall. Nao did not speak any English, yet she her business did well. Most of her customers were Hispanic and spoke Spanish. By opening a pool hall, my great grandmother was able to learn more Spanish. Kichimatsu and Nao Tsuchida.jpg|My great grandparents, Nao and Kichimatsu, and my uncle, Steve. P6060599.JPG|My cousins, Kevin and Kimberly, and my aunt and uncle, Reiko and Steve. Grandpa and Grandma.jpg|Jack and Genevieve Tsuchida in 1997. Uncle steve and dad.jpg|Jack, Steve, Dennis and Genevieve Tsuchida in about 1959. As stated earlier, my great grandmother and grandfather were first generation, Issei. My grandfather, Jack, was second generation, Nisei. It was common for Issei parents to want their children to know more about their Japanese background. This is why Jack went to Japan when he was seven, and returned to America after he finished high school. Jack came back to America, finished American high school and went to Polytechnic College of Engineering in Oakland, Calif. While he was in college, he was drafted into the army during World War II (WWII) in 1941. Jack was one out of about 6,000 Nisei, second generation, Japanese-Americans to serve in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service during WWII. Jack was one of the few Nisei to be fluent in Japanese due to his return to Hiroshima. His expertise Japanese language helped the U.S. Army translate the Japanese messages. However, WWII for my family was a difficult time due to my family’s treatment by the U.S. World War II and Japanese Internment Camps Jack was already enlisted in the Army before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was also in the U.S. Army before the government decided to place all Japanese-Americans in internment camps. Jack, along with other Japanese-Americans enlisted in the army, was given the choice of continuing MIS Language School or join the 442nd Regiment Combat Team . Jack chose to finish MIS school and continue serving the army. While Jack was in the army, his family including his mother, father and two younger brothers were being sent to internment camps. Kichimatsu, Nao and my great uncles, Noburo and Sam, were relocated to Tule Lake in June 1942. While in Tule Lake, all Japanese-Americans were issued the “ loyalty questionnaire.” The questionnaire consisted of two questions that determined loyal Japanese from the disloyal. The two questions were: *Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered? *Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance to the Japanese emperor, to any other foreign government, power or organization? The “loyalty questionnaire” offended many Japanese-Americans. They feared the consequences of their answers. They also found it troubling to pledge allegiance to a government that imprisoned its own American citizens. Some believed loyalty meant fighting with the army, and most importantly fighting against family members in Japan. Many of the Japanese-Americans refused to answer the questions. It was a difficult concept to understand for Japanese-Americans. Almost every individual in the Japanese internment camps were American citizens. Jack, and many other Japanese-American soldiers, faced even more discrimination when they returned after the war. However, Kichimatsu and Jack were able to buy a house for the family and continued their lives in Sacramento, Calif. Today, my great uncle, Sam, my uncle, Steve, My father, Dennis and his cousins pass the Japanese culture and history down from generation to generation. My Chinese Culture My great grandfather, Bong Ming Wong, was born in 1872 and immigrated to the United States around 1890. However, in 1911 he returned to China and married Lew Chew Kwan. Shortly after, they returned to the U.S. and lived in San Francisco. Bong Ming was a merchant at an import/export store. Soon after, Bong Ming and Lew Chew Kwan, along with their first-born, moved to Nevada City, Calif. and owned a small ranch. They raised chickens and pigs and grew fruit and vegetables. In 1916, the family moved to Grass Valley, Calif. where Bong Ming acquired a grocery store from another Chinese family. He earned enough money to buy a car. Bong Ming became only the second Chinese to own and drive a motor vehicle. Soon after, my grandfather, Albert, was born. However, they later moved to the Spring Hill Mine Property and built a house. Albert graduated from Grass Valley High School in 1940. A couple years later he was enlisted in the army during WWII. He worked in the Air Transport Command (ATC) in India, Burma and China. While in the ATC he flew supplies from India to China. After WWII he became a student at the University of California, Berkeley. In order to pay for college, he held different jobs. One job he held was a tour guide in Chinatown, San Francisco. He earned a degree in Business Administration and Accounting. Albert worked in an assessor’s office as an auditor and later became the manager of the whole department. Wong Family Photo 1.jpeg|My grandfather, Albert Wong, and his three brothers. Wong Family Photo.jpeg|My Grandpa in the ATC during WWII. Yee Family Photo 2.jpeg|My great grandmother, Daisy, in front of her grocery store. Gung Gung.jpg|Albert Wong at his 80th birthday. Gung Gung and Court.jpg|Albert Wong and Courtney Tsuchida in 2005. Granny and Mom.jpg|Alberta Tsuchida and Frances Wong in 2010. My Grandfather and Grandmother, Frances, divorced when my mother and uncle were in middle school. I have heard more stories about my grandmother’s family than my grandfather’s. My grandmother’s father, Li Yee, was from Canton, now known as Guangzhou. He came from a poor family that farmed and grew rice paddies. When the American Railway Company came to recruit laborers, Li Yee volunteered. He, and many other Chinese, made the journey to the U.S. to build the railroads. Li Yee and the other Chinese workers received significant discrimination and verbal abuse. They were called “Chinamen,” “Chink,” “Slanted Eyes” and other racial slurs. However, their noteworthy effort and labor building the railroads was commemorated in the Transcontinental Railroad Museum . Later, Li Yee moved to Sacramento, Calif. And owned his own laundry store, Sung Chong Laundry. Once enough money was saved, Li Yee returned to China. While in China he got married to a second wife, Daisy Yee. Together, they travelled to the U.S. Li and Daisy were detained on Angel Island before they were cleared by the U.S. Immigration. Once cleared, they returned to Sacramento, Calif. and continued to operate Sung Chong Laundry. Together, they had five children, three girls and two males. In 1932, Li and Daisy took my grandma, Frances, and her four siblings to China. However it was not long before Japan seized Canton, China during WWII. My grandma and her family survived air raids and escaped to Hong Kong. Shortly after, they safely returned to America. Once back in the U.S. Li and WWII over, Li wanted to return back to his home in China. However, Daisy wanted her children’s future in America. After Li left for China, Daisy sold the laundry shop and bought a grocery store. Daisy and her family struggled to make ends meet, but were always kind to each other. My grandma, Frances, moved to San Francisco and attended cosmetology school. After several years of miscellaneous jobs, she earned a career with the United States Post Service (USPS). My Chinese background shows the struggles with money, acceptance and culture while in America. Struggles with Race and Class It is clear that my family faced discrimination when they first immigrated to the United States. As time continued and attitudes changed in America, each younger generation received less discrimination. As stated in my Japanese history, WWII was a difficult time in terms of race and culture. Many referred to Japanese-Americans with derogatory terms even if they were citizens. Both sides of my family had to struggle with money, which placed them in the lower class. However, those struggles got easier as they continued to live in America. My Family's Influence My family is now very diverse and holds positive attitudes despite past experiences and stories. There have been interracial couples and marriages, and multicultural children in my family like my cousins. The struggle with being Asian American in the past is no longer as prevalent today, yet we still remember what our ancestors went through in order to give us the life we have here in America. Looking back and remembering the hardships my family faced gives me pride and strength. It makes me want to succeed that much more to make my family's strive for the American life a success. Category:Students